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Labour Leader Steve Siddons Vows to Continue to Campaign Against the Loo Blues

“A Council that can spend £millions supporting private vanity developments but can’t spend a penny when it is needed is not putting its residents first”
Scarborough Borough Labour Group Leader, Steve Siddons, has vowed to fight on to keep all essential public conveniences open

Despite a setback at the Scrutiny committee he chairs, Steve Siddons insisted that the Council plan to close several well used toilets in the Borough was not only a failure of a Council duty, but that financial arguments for closure were flawed. Against Councillor Siddons’ advice, some members of his committee supported the officer plan which will close several Borough toilets and leave many in limbo awaiting commercial or other third party negotiations. The proposal now goes to Cabinet for decision.

Councillor Siddons argued that the Officers’ plan showed toilets generating funds not spending them- and that any initial capital would be repaid. “A council that can spend millions of our pounds supporting private vanity developments but can’t spend a penny when it is needed is not putting its residents or their visitors first.

In fact if the officers have got their figures right the new plan will pay for itself in two years, all we need to do is pay back the investment over a longer period instead and every essential public convenience can be retained. There is no financial justification for closure of Runswick Bay, Lealholm, Danby and Holbeck Clock on the Esplanade

The argument used that the Council have no statutory duty to provide toilets is shameful, we have a moral duty, particularly with so many child and elderly residents and visitors.

This is another example of this Tory Councils lack of investment in public services. They let buildings fall into disrepair and then close them. Time and again we have seen the public suffer from poor decision making.

“It is even more hypocritical that the Council is closing toilets at the same time as making new by-laws making urinating in the street unlawful.”

4 thoughts on “Labour Leader Steve Siddons Vows to Continue to Campaign Against the Loo Blues”

In seaside towns and visitor spots, which depend on tourism for a living, provision of good, clean toilets is absolutely vital. Loss of these facilities could amount to discrimination against elderly and people with health problems and disabilities – also to a public health problem developing.

I attended this meeting and listned intently to the debate that took place regarding the closure of these toilets and Steve is spot on with his comments. The case to close these conveniences was not made in my opinion. It is a disgrace that this Borough has so few publuc toilets. On my patch in Eastfield which is the largest housing estate in North Yorkshire there is not one public toilet. Welcome to Tory North Yorkshire — but kerp your legs firmly crossed !

Quarter of a million taken in car parking fees in Robin Hood’s Bay last year but the parish council is having to take on maintenance of public convenience. It is absolutely scandalous and our Tory councillor sits on both parish and town councils and lets it happen!

The latest threatened damage to the village is SBC’s plan to hand over maintenance of the old Railway line to Sustrans with their plans to suburbanise our much loved path used by walkers, horse riders and children on foot and in buggies to provide an unwanted cycle speedway at a cost of £7.2 million. You could gold plate the loos for this and still not spend the parking fees! It would be a joke if it wasn’t such a tragedy, as wild spaces will be lost, habitats for countless wild animals. birds and rare orchids. Local people don’t want it. So who is our Tory Councillor serving? It’s not the voters of Fylingdales!